This invention relates generally to electronic analog timepieces and more particularly to an electronic analog timepiece having calender displays for day and date in addition to the conventional hands for the display of the time-keeping functions. Generally in a timepiece of the prior art having a calendar wheel, it requires two or three hours to feed, that is, update the date dial and the day star wheel. Feeding of these wheels usually occurs between the hours of 9 p.m. and midnight on the dial. During this transient period, a date finger and a finger for the day of the week within the mechanism of the timepiece are engaged with the date calendar dial and the day star wheel. It is generally impossible to correct or manually set the calendar device during that period. If the watch is forceably and inherently carelessly corrected, the engaged parts are damaged. Another disadvantage of the calendar wristwatches of the prior art is the impracticability to read the date and the day during the period when the calendar wheels are being fed or updated. During that transient period only a portion of the date characters and the day numerals are visible through the small windows which are provided on the face of the wristwatch.
To this degree the analog display watch, having a date dial and a day star wheel, is inferior to a watch having digital displays using the liquid crystals or light emitting diodes. The day and date are easily set by manual operations for an electronic digital display since there is no mechanical devices which may be damaged in the process. Also the analog display watch is deficient in that the timepiece has to be corrected for date at the end of the month once in every two months during the year. With a digital display electronic watch, there is no need to correct the watch at the end of the month because the integrated circuit is designed to automatically make these adjustments throughout the year.
Until the present time, many improvements have been conceived in order to eliminate the manual date correction required at the end of the month in prior art wrist watches. But these conceptual designs have been too complicated to be realized in a practical embodiment.
What is needed is an electronic analog timepiece having calendar displays for day and date, which may be readily set at any time of any day. It is also desirable that the daily updating of day and dates occur rapidly, over a short period of time at the end of each day. Automatic end of month adjustments for the number of days in the month is also desirable.